The inmate

Obsession never gets stuck. Action-packed and intelligent, The Recluse is an intimate and moving reflection on freedom and risk, male and female power, and the desires for corruption and redemption that dwell within us all. Miranda Greene plans to die in May 1999 at the Milford Basin Correctional Facility in New York. She has fifty-two more years to serve in prison for second-degree murder, with no possibility of parole, for a stupid accident she didn't even cause. But besides being tried by a harsh judge, she was the daughter of a former congressman. Miranda intends to attend the prison psychiatrist's appointments and save the pills he administers until she has enough to end her life. Frank Lundquist is a psychiatrist who works at the prison. Before that, he had a successful private practice in Manhattan and married the woman he loved. He lost everything because of a terrible accident he didn't cause, although he feels guilty. When Frank first sees Miranda, he immediately recognizes her. However, the same doesn't happen with Miranda. They went to high school together and Frank spent years completely in love with her. Within the prison walls, Miranda is desperate, tormented by memories of a childhood tragedy, facing a family legacy of questionable morals and political decisions, and still trying to free herself from the disastrous love that led to her downfall. And she is also stubbornly determined to maintain some control over her destiny. Frank will become a powerful hope for absolution and, who knows, even escape.